Reporting Body Identifier codes
According to Permanent Reference Document TW.06, Appendix A of the GSM Association, the current Reporting Body Identifier (RBI) codes indicate the following approval/allocation bodies:
Normally, when a RBI is 35, the phone device supports operation on the 1800 MHz band, but if it is 01, it will not have it, e.g., Motorola and Nokia. There are some exceptions for RBI 01, e.g., on LG and Sony Ericsson.
The international mobile subscriber identity or IMSI is a number that uniquely identifies every user of a cellular network. It is stored as a 64-bit field and is sent by the mobile device to the network. It is also used for acquiring other details of the mobile in the home location register (HLR) or as locally copied in the visitor location register. To prevent eavesdroppers from identifying and tracking the subscriber on the radio interface, the IMSI is sent as rarely as possible and a randomly-generated TMSI is sent instead.
A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM), widely known as a SIM card, is an integrated circuit that is intended to securely store the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key, which are used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony devices. It is also possible to store contact information on many SIM cards. SIM cards are always used on GSM phones; for CDMA phones, they are only needed for newer LTE-capable handsets. SIM cards can also be used in satellite phones, smart watches, computers, or cameras.
The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a number, usually unique, to identify 3GPP and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone, but can also be displayed on-screen on most phones by entering *#06# on the dialpad, or alongside other system information in the settings menu on smartphone operating systems.
Mobility management is one of the major functions of a GSM or a UMTS network that allows mobile phones to work. The aim of mobility management is to track where the subscribers are, allowing calls, SMS and other mobile phone services to be delivered to them.
A personal unlocking key (PUK), sometimes called personal unblocking code (PUC), is used in 3GPP mobile phones to reset a personal identification number (PIN) that has been lost or forgotten.
MSISDN is a number uniquely identifying a subscription in a Global System for Mobile communications or a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System mobile network. It is the mapping of the telephone number to the subscriber identity module in a mobile or cellular phone. This abbreviation has several interpretations, the most common one being "Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number".
The Type Allocation Code (TAC) is the initial eight-digit portion of the 15-digit IMEI and 16-digit IMEISV codes used to uniquely identify wireless devices.
A mobile station (MS) comprises all user equipment and software needed for communication with a mobile network.
A Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) is a series of nine digits which are sent in digital form over a radio frequency channel in order to uniquely identify ship stations, ship earth stations, coast stations, coast earth stations, and group calls. These identities are formed in such a way that the identity or part thereof can be used by telephone and telex subscribers connected to the general telecommunications network to call ships automatically.
The British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT) is a telecommunications certification body.
Electronic serial numbers (ESNs) were created by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to uniquely identify mobile devices, from the days of AMPS in the United States starting in the early 1980s. The administrative role was taken over by the Telecommunications Industry Association in 1997 and is still maintained by them. ESNs are currently mainly used with CDMA phones, compared to International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers used by all GSM phones.
A mobile equipment identifier (MEID) is a globally unique number identifying a physical piece of CDMA2000 mobile station equipment. The number format is defined by the 3GPP2 report S.R0048 but in practical terms, it can be seen as an IMEI but with hexadecimal digits.
The ITU-T Recommendation E.212 defines mobile country codes (MCC) as well as mobile network codes (MNC).
Phone cloning is the copying of identity from one cellular device to another.
The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) is a not-for-profit industry organisation representing companies across the worldwide mobile ecosystem engaged in the supply of infrastructure, semiconductors, test equipment, devices, applications and mobile support services.
Telephone numbers in Canada follow the fixed-length Bell System format, consisting of the country code +1, followed by a three-digit area code, a three-digit central office code and a four-digit station code. This is represented as 1 NPA NXX XXXX, in which the country code is "1".
EUIMID is a unique identifier for an R-UIM or CSIM card in CDMA2000 cellular systems that replaces the older UIMID identifier. There are two forms of EUIMID, known as Short Form (SF_EUIMID) and Long Form (LF_EUIMID). Both produce a 32-bit pseudo-UIMID (pUIMID) with 0x80 in the upper 8 bits and the least significant 24 bits of the SHA-1 hash of the entire SF_EUIMID or the entire ICCID EF in the lower 24 bits.
The GSM Association is a trade body that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. Approximately 800 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members. The GSMA represents its members via industry programmes, working groups and industry advocacy initiatives.
Mobile Standards Alliance of India (MSAI) is the official Reporting Body of GSMA for providing Genuine IMEI numbers to GSM Devices and mobile Handsets in India. MSAI also provides IMEI related assistance to regulatory bodies, network operators and security agencies.
LTE-M, which includes eMTC, is a type of low power wide area network (LPWAN) radio technology standard developed by 3GPP to enable a wide range of cellular devices and services. The specification for eMTC was frozen in 3GPP Release 13, in June 2016. Other 3GPP IoT technologies include NB-IoT and EC-GSM-IoT.
